Wide field of contenders and a non-binding amalgamation question head into Saanich ballot
Saanich residents will go to the polls this fall with a broad slate of choices: 31 candidates are seeking office in the municipality, the most of any community in Greater Victoria. Four candidates are vying for mayor and voters will choose eight councillors from a field of 27, ensuring a fresh municipal leadership team regardless of who wins after Dean Murdock announced he would not run.
The ballot this year also includes a high-profile, though non-binding, referendum-style question about municipal structure across the central peninsula. The question asks:
“Do you support Saanich and Victoria becoming one municipality?”
While the question carries no legal force, it is intended to provide insight into public sentiment on potential amalgamation that could be pursued in the years ahead. The inclusion of this question elevates the election beyond routine municipal business and into conversations about regional governance, service delivery and identity.
Who’s running and who’s standing down
Two sitting Saanich councillors — Zac de Vries and Karen Harper — are among the four candidates running for mayor, giving voters a choice between established local-government experience and other challengers.
Zac de Vries is a lifelong Saanich resident and a two-term councillor. His campaign profile stresses eight years of experience in local and regional government, saying he brings “energy, new ideas and a record of delivering practical results.” De Vries has served as a director on the Capital Regional District and as chair of the Capital Region Housing Corporation, where he worked on efforts to expand affordable rental housing across Saanich and the region. Outside municipal politics, de Vries works full time with the Province at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food supporting British Columbia’s food and beverage processing sector and food security initiatives.
Karen Harper highlights a career focused on improving public organisations. According to her campaign material, she has spent years advancing leadership in innovation, accountability and service. For the last decade of her working life she says she has aimed to create and manage an effective, efficient and accountable service-based crown corporation.
With Dean Murdock not contesting this year’s mayoral race, the municipality is guaranteed to have a new mayor elected on Oct. 17.
Incumbency on the ballot
Among those seeking to retain a seat at the municipal table are five council candidates running for re-election: Susan Brice, Judy Brownoff, Nathalie Chambers, Teale Phelps Bondaroff and Colin Plant. Their bids for re-election will be tested against a large cohort of challengers in what has become one of the region’s most crowded municipal campaigns.
- Total candidates: 31
- Mayoral candidates: 4
- Council candidates: 27 (voters to elect 8)
- Incumbent councillors running for mayor: 2 (Zac de Vries, Karen Harper)
- Incumbents seeking council re-election: 5
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Total candidates | 31 |
| Mayoral candidates | 4 |
| Council candidates | 27 (elect 8) |
The large candidate pool and the amalgamation question both reflect wider policy debates folding into local politics: housing, regional planning, transportation and governance. Candidates such as de Vries frame their campaigns around regional cooperation and housing delivery, citing roles on the Capital Regional District and housing corporation as relevant experience. For voters, the choice will consider not only who can manage municipal services and finances but who can also represent Saanich in regional conversations.
Local campaigns will now shift into the home stretch. With voting day approaching, residents can expect door-knocking, candidate forums and increased advertising as contenders attempt to differentiate themselves on practical issues such as housing, transportation and local services, while also addressing the broader question of whether Saanich should ever consider merging with Victoria.
Municipal affairs watchers say the non-binding question is likely to trigger more substantive regional conversations if a clear majority for or against amalgamation emerges, but any formal move would require extensive study and negotiation between municipalities and with the provincial government.
Voters will elect Saanich’s new mayor and council on Oct. 17. The outcome will shape local policy and the municipality’s role within the Capital Regional District for years to come.
